Verona hosts Shakespeare in the Park July 9
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Verona has a summertime event that’s been two years in the making when the New Renaissance Theatre Company presents a Shakespeare in the Park performance of “The Merry Wives of Windsor” at 7 p.m. July 9 at Railroad Park in Verona. The performance is free to the public.
The production originally was scheduled to take place during the summer of 2020 but was postponed because of the covid-19 pandemic.
Directed by Andy Kirtland, New Renaissance artistic director, the play stars Kauleen Cloutier, Mason Dowd, Mary Felix, Joanna Getting, Matt Henderson, Carolyn Jerz, Randy Kerr, David Lynch, Tonya Lynn, Ivy Mackinson, Nick Page, Adam Rutledge, Ariel Squire and Emma Szuba.
The comedy originally was published in 1602 and features the recurring Shakespeare character John Falstaff, who also appears in both “Henry IV” plays and supposedly was written at the request of Queen Elizabeth I.
“The Merry Wives of Windsor” will be performed using the unrehearsed cue script technique, a Shakespeare-era practice in which clues and directions to the characters are written directly into the script, with spelling, punctuation, language and meter all giving the actors an idea to the exact stage direction required.
According to the New Renaissance Theater Company, “Our actors never see the entire text of the play. Shakespeare put everything an actor needed to perform a role into the text of the cue scripts, and we’ve taught our actors how to find the cues and clues he left. The technique exposes humor and tragedy throughout all of his works, draws themes from the scripts rather than placing arbitrary themes upon them and creates spontaneous moments between the actors and with the crowd in every performance.”
The performance is coordinated and sponsored by Verona Parks and Recreation, with Trish Hredzak Showalter originally helping to organize the event in 2020 before passing it to Timothy Long.
“I think this is a good chance to give back to the town and let them come and enjoy something different and special,” Long said. “It’s a chance to get everyone together, and have a chance to see great people you know and meet new people. It really is designed to be a whole community event.”
For more information, visit www.newrentheatre.com.